The Wrong Universe
by VanillaPine
Summary: Jack has never fit in with the rest of the Guardians. It's not that either party didn't try, he just didn't. Bunny starts saying some stuff the other Guardians slowly start agreeing. Jack flys off and gets caught in a snowstorm that he didn't make. It takes him to a whole other universe. What does he make of the different version of the Guardians? Rated T for language and self harm
1. Voices in my head

**_A/N:_**_ Hey! So this is my first story and my first time on this site writing. So it might take me a while to get everything sorted out. Anyway this is from a rotg prompt I found some time ago. Here's the link:  
_

_ rotg- kink .dreamwidth 3036 .html? page=1#comments  
_

_Take out the spaces. ^.^  
_

_**Disclaimer:**__Sadly I don't own Rise of the Guardians or the Guardians of Childhood.. :c_

_. . ._

"Bye, Jack!" Jamie waved as his friend was carried off by the wind, skimming the tree tops in the way. Jack laughed and shot farther into the sky, speeding past his lake.

It had been an awesome day hanging out with Jamie. They had watched TV all morning ("It's okay, all kids do this," Jamie assured Jack when he had stated Jamie was going to get eye cancer or something.) Then they spend the afternoon pranking his mother and when she had sent Jamie outside, they had roped everyone into a big snowball fight, even some adults!

The Spirit of Winter sighted and put his hands behind his head and leaned back, letting his oldest friend carry him to wherever it pleased. His believers were growing in numbers and he could never have been more content. Well….

The Wind dropped him off in Utah to relax. Spring had come early here and the vivid colours peeking out of the soft snow looked amazing.

Jack stared awhile, memories if Easter egg hunts and snow surfacing.

Anger. There was so much anger. And guilt. So, so much guilt.

He shook his dark thoughts away when the wind ruffled his hair worryingly and turned to a forest they had landed nearby. It was a thin one, with hardly few trees, but the ones that grew here were large.

Jack couldn't remember the last time he slept. Sandy would be on his case about that. Out of all of the Guardians Sandy cared…

_'The most,' _his mind reprimanded him. That's right. The other guardians cared too, they just needed to get used to his….

_'Uselessness?' _ his mind turned against him.

Jack swallowed the bitter disappointment in himself that welled in his throat and finally found a large hollowed out oak to sleep under. After checking to make sure he wasn't disturbing any animals he curled around his precious shepherds crook and closed his eyes.

.

.

.

But sleep would not come.

He glanced up through the treetops at the gray twilight sky. Something was nagging at his mind but he couldn't place his finger on it. It felt like he was forgetting something.

Jack's messed up head decided to pipe in again.

_'Worthless! Worthless! Jack is worthless!' _ It sounded like a small girl, like…his sister. He faintly remembered her voice from what he had seen in his memories and now they had come to haunt him.

Jack's breath billowed visibly around him in his distress.

_'Worthless! Worthless! Jack is worthless! 'she_ sang.

But no, that couldn't be Pippa. She wouldn't say that.

"Shut up," he whispered, eyes wide.

_'Aw…poor Jack's afraid of being worthless?' _

"…"

The voice turned to daggers and he threw his hand over his ears, his blue eyes now snapping shut.

_'ARE YOU AFRAID OF BEING WORTHLESS, JACK?'_

"Y-yes," he sobbed.

The voice suddenly turned soothing. _'Jack, don't be afraid of yourself.'_

"I am," Jack was hyperventilating. "I'm insane."

Darkness overtook him.

**A/N: **_I made poor Jack have a panic attack. :C_

_Btw, I do believe Jack went crazy, (to some extent) during those three hundred years of isolation. He has these thoughts/memory flashes all the time but is usually good at hiding them. (It might get a bit darker in later chapters, just a little warning...) ^.^  
_

_Should I continue? I know it was short and derpy but hopefully future updates will be better! Review please! And if you have any suggestions or tips, I'd be glad to hear them, just PM me!_

_P.S: I want his sister's name to be Pippa. Deal with it._

_C:_


	2. Lost Hope

**A/N:**_ Oh yay! A chapter! _

_I suck a__t__ accents._

_On with the show._

**_Disclaimer:__I don't own Rise of the Guardians. If I did, I would make my ships cannon. _**_**People would not be happy.** _

. . .

"Where the bloody 'ell is 'e?" Bunny stomped past Sandy to stick his head out the window for the forty-third time.

"Maybe he got caught up in his work?" Tooth repeated herself.

He snorted. "That brat doesn't work, he meddles."

"Is probably at Jamie's, yes?" North intervened, waving away Sandy's outraged look.

"Again!" Bunny shouted again, glaring back at Sandy. "Tha' bludger spends way too much time with tha' kid! He never acts mature! Ah know tha' he's supposed to be the Guardian of Fun or whateva' but he doesn' even take tha' responsibly!"

Sandy started to sign something but the Pooka plowed on, looking at all the others.

"You know I'm right!"

"Bunny, please. Jack will pick up his responsibilities soon enough. He's used to being on his own! Just give him time," Tooth tried to reason.

"Ha! 'E wouldn' know responsibility is it jumped up an' bloody bit 'im in the arse!"

/

Jack cringed away from his perch by the window. He knew they would be mad but the Easter guardian seemed about ready to kill him. Jack didn't blame him though; this hadn't been the first time he'd been late or skipped on a meeting before.

As he contemplated whether it was smart to go in there or not, Bunny stuck his head out the window again and caught sight of him.

"Get in 'ere!" he snarled and grabbed the front of his hoodie before he got the chance to react.

When Jack was thrown back on the ground he pulled his hood over is mop of white hair only to have it yanked down again, surprisingly by North.

"Jack, vhere vere you?" he bellowed.

Memories pushed there way forward, _crushed eggs, cold, Bunny almost hit him,their angry_ _dissapointed faces,_ but were pushed back.

'Play it cool,' he decided.

The winter spirit shrugged, "Out and about."

Wrong move.

Bunny scoffed, "See! He doesn' even care!" The Easter Guardian spread his hands out to gesture to Jack,switching his gaze to each of the guardians.

"Hey! That's not true! I care!" the new guardian stepped toward him, bearing his staff like a shield.

"Like 'ell you do!" Bunny stepped closer, crossing his arms over his chest. "What'd you do 'round 'ere?

"I-"

"Nothin'! You do absolutely nothin'! Someone please name one productive thing 'e does!

"Brings joy to ze children," North refused to look at Jack. It sounded more like a question.

No one noticed Jack's quickened breath or wide eyes. No one but Sandy.

"Come on guys, ya know it's true," the Guardian of Hope turned his gaze to the winter spirit again. It was full of spite.

_'The eyes. All the eyes, Jack! The were staring. Staring at you! They are searching eyes._' He didn't like them.

Tooth spoke up. "Jack? I'm sorry but, I have to agree with Bunny. Why are you always late to our meetings? I don't really think it's that hard to make it snow," she timidly fluttered her wings from where she was perched.

Both he and Sandy gaped at her.

Bunny gave a bitter laugh. "Ya, tha's true."

Jack was rooted to his spot in panic. Not for the first time he was doubting his own existence. Bunny's words sounded far away now, like he was underwater. He suddenly felt numb and unable to breathe.

_'Worthless! Worthless! Worthlessworthlessworthlessworthless-'_

'You're worthless, Jack."

Everyone in the room jumped when Sandy's whips cracked through the air threateningly toward the Pooka.

Sandy looked at Jack in sorrow and took a step for him.

No. It's not sorrow, it's pity!

_'He knows you're broken Jack.'_

Jack launched himself out of the nearest window, away from the eyes, away from the pity, away from himself.

Just.

Away.

. . .

**A/N: **_Ya... That wasn't really any better. Well... I planned some fun stuff in the next chapter. *Sarcasm _

_Review! I would love it! :3_

_(My head hurts)_


	3. Hot and Cold

**A/N:**_ Hey! Here's another chapter for you guys! But there is self harm in it, so __if that's not your cup of tea just move on and forget this happened... _

_**Disclaimer:** **I don't own Rise of the Guardians... **_

_. . ._

Jack flew for hours, not really caring where he went. Or that he fell from the atmosphere three times. The Guardian of Hope had been the straw that broke the camels back. Heh. Figures that it was Bunny who hurt him so bad. They had been on bad terms even before they met each other. Spring and Winter just don't mix. And perhaps that was what hurt him the most.

He loved Bunny.

Plain and simple.

But...

Bunny didn't love him.

Jack felt his staff slip from his grip and he plummeted from the sky again. The Wind screamed around him, desperate to catch him but without his staff, their special connection was broken. He vaguely wondered if he would ever learn how to fly without his staff.

As the ground grew closer and closer the Wind managed to nudge his staff over to him. When it hit against his leg his old friend begged him to take it, so he did. At the last moment, he was thrown into the air again. Jack felt a slight bruising where he had brushed against the Earth. He was dumped into a snowbank and he clumsily twisted onto his back. He was in the Arctic. The giant statue he and Pitch made last year towered over him. The cold surrounded him but the Winter Spirit didn't know whether to be comforted by it or scream.

Jack bolted up out of the snow and screamed anyway. His screams bounced off of the iced walls and came back at him, making sound as if he was surrounded by a thousand angry demons. He screamed until his throat closed on him and his ears rang. He slumped back down into the snow and glanced up and the giant structure through his bangs.

It had a dream-like quality to it. The whole memorial was a pale shade of blue with darker and lighter splashes around the perimeter. Swirls of black sand decorated the inside of the statue giving it a perfect beauty. Sharp edges and curvy rounds formed the outside, contrasting perfectly.

Jack began to envy it. It looked beautiful and was neither good nor bad. Everyone loved art, right? This was a masterpiece.

And Jack had helped create it. Suddenly, he no longer saw the beauty in it. Everything he created was bad, wasn't it? Snow and ice had killed millions and millions. Yes, everything he created was bad.

The Winter Spirit looked down to stare at his hands, which had clasped together, as if trying to seek warmth. No, warmth wasn't for him. He was Jack Frost. He didn't deserve warmth.

But some part of him still desired it and abruptly, he grew desperate to find some sort of heat.

He struggled to rise to his feet even when his whole body cried in agony after being thrown out of the air and into buildings and mountains. Jack turned to stare back at his monstrosity of art and started laughing. The no-longer Guardian of Fun failed at his task and collapsed back to his knees, howling with laughter and pain, tears streaming down his face.

The spirit blinked through his tears and clenched his hand, waiting for an icicle to form. When one did, he wasted no time in pulling his right sleeve up and dragging the sharp edge upward against his bare skin. Blood quickly spilled from his body and dripped onto the Arctic snow, staining it a bright red. His laugh sounded desperate and he practically stabbed at his wrist, making deep cuts along his arm. The whole right side of his body flooded with a warm kind of pain.

Unfamiliar snowflakes started to swirl around him, stirring in an unknown wind. His eyes widened in panic as cold started to seep into his bones again and he flung his other sleeve up, piercing that one as well. Jack shuddered as the warmth spread across his entire body, fighting away the cold. He laughed even harder as a blizzard formed and he didn't feel it.

He couldn't quite feel anything right now.

The icicle slid from Jack's hand and he slumped down into the snow, letting the sad little snowflakes know that they couldn't touch him. Not anymore. The pain brought more and more heat as blood dripped down his arms, pooling under his body. He finally quieted down as he felt sleepier and sleepier. He felt at peace. There was no cold to bother him anymore.

Jack let the warmth overtake him and his eyes slipped close.

_'Please, don't let me wake up.'_

_/_

Jack moaned and shifted into the soft covers laid over him. He had woken up hours ago but was unable to move much or even open his eyes. Although he was disappointed he hadn't died like he had wished for, he was curious to explore his surroundings. But here he was stuck on what Jack had determined a bed. The Winter Spirit shifted again, wincing in pain, finally settling down to sleep again.

Unbeknowest to him, an ancient wizard was near his bedside watching over him.

. . .

**A/N: **_Ugh, he sounds like a stalker. But whatever. And if you're wondering about the 'no-longer Guardian of Fun' thing, it's because Jack doesn't view himself as a Guardian anymore..._

_What do you say, getting better? Worse? I'd love to know what you think!_

_Review please!_

_(I made it longer! .)_

_Peace!_


	4. Healing

**A/N:**_ Hey! Thanks so much for the __lovely __reviews! __If you haven't read the Guardians of Childhood books, this might be a bit confusing... sorry I'll do my best to explain..__Anyway, on with the story!_

**Warning:**_There's some blood in this chapter, so if that stuff makes you queasy..._

**_Disclaimer: _**_I** don't own Rise of the Guardians or Guardians of Childhood... Sad day.**_

Over the next few days, the spirit slipped in and out of consciousness, not understanding where he was. The child looked so young and frail and so very tired. Bunnymund sighed and his friend glanced at him from the corner of his eyes.

"Something on your mind?" Ombric finally spoke up.

"...He is just so young. I want to know what has caused this..." he mumbled and his whiskers halfheartedly twitched.

"I understand, friend." And he did. Which wasn't surprising. Even though the wizard had founded the happiest place on Earth, a place of peace where children could grow and learn the impossible, he understood heartbreak.

And this was heartbreaking.

Bunnymund had been searching the Arctic for a special type of permafrost there, (which, when added with a pinch of Mars Spice and a dash of coconut milk, would make an excellent filling for his new chocolate candy) when he had stumbled upon a young child reeking of blood, which was understandable, seeing as how he was covered in it. He was laid across the snow on his stomach, his arm outstretched and across from him laid a wooden staff, the end curled up into a 'g'.

He had ran up to the child, his nose twitching like mad, taking in the smell of cooper. A large column of ice and what looked like to be sand stood over him. The Pooka would have stayed and admired it's beauty for a moment, but the poor kid was loosing blood fast. He scooped both the staff and the boy up bridal style, blood dyeing his green robes red and tapped his foot against the ground. Bunnymund shifted the boy so he wasn't hitting against his egg encrusted staff, as well as the wooden one and dropped down into the tunnel running as fast as his feet could carry him. His robes pooled around his knees, threating to tear but he didn't stop for anything. He made sure the child was as still as he could carry him when a hole opened in the boundaries of Santoff Claussen.

The children that lived there ran up to him, excited over some candy he was likely to give them, but at the sight of blood, they all dropped back, eyes wide.

"Might someone please go get Ombric?" Bunnymund breathed.

They stay glued to their spots before they ran off to get the wizard, the youngest William running the fastest.

The Pooka calmly walked in the direction of Big Root, the center of Santoff Claussen, when Ombric and North rushed out, alarmed by the stammered exclamations of "Bunnymund! Blood!"

North swore, "What happened? Are you okay?"

"As you can see, I am perfectly fine, however, I cannot say the same for this fellow." Bunnymund stated.

"Quickly, bring him to the infirmary," Ombric ordered.

They all moved to the hospital-like room and set the bleeding child on one of the beds placed there. North ushered the village children, whom had all followed, out of the room with promises of toys and other goods later before turning back toward the others.

After a few seconds of debating where to start, Katherine pushed the doors open and entered, followed by Nightlight.

"Guys? What's going on? Who's that?" Kathrine pushed her way between North and Ombric.

"Kathrine, please fetch me a few washclothes and bowl of warm water," Bunnymund requested.

"Okay," she answered obediently. "Nightlight, help me."

As Nightlight filled a bowl with warm water from the sink on the wall opposite from the bed, his friend retrieved some rags and brought it to Bunnymund, who thanked her and set it on a bedside table next to Ombric.

They peeled off his ruined sweatshirt and the three elder guardians set to work wiping at the smeared blood on his neck first, checking for and wounds, then his chest. When they found none, they continued to rub the rest of the blood away. When Bunnymund finally realized where the red liquid was flowing from, his heart dropped and he glanced at his comrades, seeing their grim expressions as well.

"Kathrine, please go see to the smaller children," North expressed softly.

"Why? I want to help! I'm staying," she was stubborn.

But Nightlight glanced at the unconscious body, then to them in sorrow and pulled at Katherine's arm, leading her through the infirmary's door.

"Do you know how to sew wounds closed?" North breathed shakily to Ombric.

"Yes."

As the ancient wizard hurried off to get the necessary supplies for the operation, Bunnymund set himself with the task of clearing the still bleeding injury enough so they could see what they were dealing with.

Lines upon lines appeared on this child's flesh, all of them self inflicted. Most of them were red, irritated by the blood that was still flowing. Any mortal would have been dead by now. There were thirteen fresh wounds in all, eight on one arm, five on the other running down the length of his limbs.

Tears filled the Pooka's eyes (a rare sight) and North spoke for both of their minds.

"Why?"

Ombric returned and sucked in his breath when he saw the full damage but drew closer, setting his supplies on the table.

"I need your help, the both of you," he muttered, hesitantly touching the scars.

Two hours later, they had patched up every wound they could find, stripping his clothes off and throwing them somewhere to be washed. By now, the two other Guardians, the Sandman and Queen Toothiana had appeared. They were shocked when they saw such a young child in so much pain. They each helped to get the white sheets on the soft bed changed to ones that weren't stained, sending him good dreams, doing the best to wash the red out of the child's white hair and wrapping gaze around his wrists.

Toothiana and Sandman unwillingly left to their attend to their 24-7 jobs again, and North had retreated to his small workshop to sullenly meddle with some bits of metal and wood. Kathrine had been demanding to be let in again and again and eventually Ombric caved and allowed it.

Nightlight stood by her side the entire time, clutching her hand uneasily. Despite his young appearance, Nightlight knew a whole lot. As Kathrine asked question after question, Bunnymund sat in a chair in the corner of the room, his nose twitching thoughtfully.

/

"Errgh," Jack groaned brought his hand up to wipe at his eyes. He squeezed a teddy bear that had made an appearance in his arms in confusion. When the spirit opened his eyes for the first time in a week, four large, hairy creatures stood in front of him. "Phil?" he mumbled reaching his hand to reach for him.

The yeti nearest to him, the one he was grabbing, shook his head and grumbled something Jack was too tired to decipher and grabbed a glass of water for Jack to drink, which he did. The Winter Spirit then huffed and gazed around him confoundedly.

"Where am I?" he croaked.

Before not-Phil could answer, the double doors swung open, revealing a old man in long, blue robes and an equally long blue cap. He had a long beard, which laid across his chest, all except a single hair on the end of his beard, which was slowly twirling and untwirling.

Jack continued staring at it as the man came closer, for some reason wanting to cut it off. It was weird.

_'Wait.. I don't think that's what I should be focusing on right now..' _Jack thought and dragged his eyes to the soft smiling face and light blue eyes.

The yeti's shifted to leave, glancing back at the two as he went to stand by his bedside, where he stopped and stared, making Jack uncomfortable. The man must have noticed because he broke the silence and looked down to the sheets for a moment.

"Чувствуете ли вы себя хорошо, детеныш?" the man said.

"What?"

The elder stared at him for a moment longer before trying again.

"How are you feeling youngling?"

"Umm...good I guess. I'm a bit sore, though." he realized something. "What am I wearing."

The man smiled sorrowfully. "Your clothes were dirty so we had traded them for some of my student's clothes."

That explained why they were a bit too big.

"Okay then, well.. what happened to me then?"

The man's eyes darkened and he looked like he didn't know what to say.

Instead he said, "How rude am I? My name is Ombric Shalazar, wizard of Atlantis. Who might you be?"

"Oh..Jack Frost..Spirit of Winter-oh crap!" he muttered. He hadn't wanted to tell him what he was or he might get kicked out, and he was really hurting right now.

But Ombric just smiled and bowed slightly. "It has been a pleasure to meet you, youngling." The wizard watched as the child's eyes widened, the glance down at his wrists and hide them under the sheets when he regained memory of what he had done. Jack flushed a deep blue and was about to stammer out either an apology or excuse when the doors burst open for the second time that day and several children ran in, beelining for the bed.

There was a lot of noise from the excited jabber of the kids and Ombric was practically knocked over in their haste to get to him. They all spoke at once, trying to get Jack's attention.

"Дети," Ombric had regained balance. "Будьте почтительны. Джек говорит по-английски."

All the kids quieted down as they decided who would talk first when the youngest boy jumped onto his bed, careful not to hit his legs.

"Hi!" he squeaked. "My name is William. I'm the youngest. Oh, did you like my teddy bear? I let you borrow him cause you got hurt." Jack glanced at the bear in his arms, smiling.

"Thank you, William. It helped a lot," he gushed and William beamed.

"How did you get hurt?" A young boy stood next to his head. "It was scary."

The Spirit's eyes widened before he relaxed. "I got in a fight with a dinosaur," he mischievously said and they all gasped. Even Ombric smiled.

The children disrupted into noise again before settling. "What dinosaur was it?" the boy, Fog, he would later learn asked.

"A T-rex."

They all made noises of confusion.

"A Tyrannosaurus Rex?" Ombric supplied.

"Uh, ya." Jack lamely said, confused. People usually just called it a T-rex. Then again, there was a lot of strange things going on.

Through the doors, which had been left open, came four new visitors.

Jack was left to gape at the newcomers. There in front of him stood the Guardians but not the ones he knew.

A/N: _Dun dun DUN! Heh.. __Well.. there's a chapter for you guys. Tell me if there's any spelling or grammar mistakes, I tried my best to fix them all but I might have missed a few. I'm trying to get as much as I can done before school starts again. T.T_

_Jack knows Russian and Yetish but is just too confuzzled to decipher it right now. Just so you know what Ombric's saying:  
_

_Дети. Будьте почтительны. Джек говорит по-английски. = Children. Be respectful. Jack speaks English.  
_

_Anyway, there ya have it..._

_Review plzzzz!_

_Peace. Love. Cookies. _


	5. Waking updoesn't really help anything

**A/N: **_Hey guys! Guess who's back with a brand new- chapter..!_

_:P Bunnymund's adorable. I've given up on Russian accents..._

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Rise of the Guardians or the Guardians of Childhood...**_

Sandy didn't know what to do. He had looked everywhere for the winter sprite and had come up with nothing. He listened carefully for the whispered dreams of Jack, but heard nothing. He had asked Jamie and his friends and even after many hours of charades, he had received no information. He asked the Man in the Moon and the MiM knew nothing either.

The dreamweaver would have had the others help too, but he was too disappointed to look at them right now.

Day after day, all he could see was the horrified expression on Jack's face. He was just a child. Why.. why did they have to do this? It was his fault as much as anyone else. He had left the child alone for three hundred years. THREE HUNDERED YEARS!

Sandy angrily punched his dream cloud. The bright Moon sent down a moonbeam with a message, which was waved away huffily. The little thing was persistent so Sandy decided to cut it some slack and listened to it.

His eyes widened at what he heard.

'Jack Frost is no longer on this Earth.'

/

Jack stared in shock at the guardians.

Sandy looked pretty much the same except he had a sort of sandles made of dreamsand on his small feet and his hair was even wilder.

Tooth looked like some sort of royalty, her plumage was more prominent and actual gold rings surrounded her wrists and ankles. She had large, beautiful feathered wings and sheathed on either of her sides were two golden hilted swords. Her face was fully painted which Jack found odd, but pretty nonetheless.

A young man stood beside them, supposedly North. He was actually quite charming, with black hair and goatee. A Russian ushanka sat atop his head and he was dressed in red with straps running arcross his chest and a fancy sword at his side.

Bunny, looked nothing like...Bunny. Instead of being blue-ish gray, he was a light, creamy tawny colour. He wore a green robe with red at the ends of the sleeves and a choker-like collar around his neck. Golden egg shaped buttons were placed around his clothes. A purple sash was tied around his waist, red pouches hanging from it. Green oval glasses were placed over his equally green eyes. (Which is a shame, Jack thought.) He held a long golden staff with a large bejewled egg at the top.

_'Why do they all have weapons?' _Jack's heart fluttered.

Bunny's ears twitched and he stepped forward, pulling some egg shaped candies from one of the pouches.

"Chocolate?" he offered.

North glared at the Pooka as Jack took the candy after much staring. He didn't eat it.

"Ummm...Weren't you just mad at me?" his voice cracked a bit and the Winter Spirit raked his gaze across each of them.

"What?" North was confused. "No..." His accent was way heavier than usual.

"And why do you guys look different?" Jack lamely asked. "Are you trying to trick me?"

"Child, why would we be mad at you?" Tooth spoke up.

"We don't look different." Bunny looked offended, but his face softened when Jack flinched.

"Uh, ya, okay."

The Youngest William bounced a little on the bed. "Ya! They've always looked this way, Jack!"

"Well..." Jack began. "North and Bunny look way different." There was an uncomfortable silence as everyone looked at Bunny, who's whiskers violently twitched once then stilled.

"Why did you call me Bunny?" he spoke softly.

"Because that's your name?"

"No. It is not." Bunny spoke sharply. "My name is Bunny_mund. _E. Aster Bunnymund. I wish you would address me as Bunnymund."

Jack couldn't help but ask, "Why? You've never asked to be called that before."

Bunny_mund _sputtered. "That's what I have always been called!"

Jack raised an eyebrow. "If you say so."

Bunnymund twitched and Jack flinched.

"Anyway," North cut in, "Why do you think we look different?"

"_Because you do," _Jack insisted. "Any why are you being so nice to me?! You were just yelling at me a couple of hours ago!"

"Jack," Ombric cut in, glancing at the others, "You've been asleep for a week. Perhaps you are just a little confused?" he suggested.

The eternal youth stared at him dubiously before sighing. "Okay," he muttered, glancing down at his wrists through the sheets.

All of the guardians, Ombric and the children stared at him.

_'The eyes Jack! They're staring at you!'_

Jack flinched and tried to shrink into the bed.

He glanced up when he felt a tap on his shoulder.

A young girl was pointing to the candy in his hands. "Are you gonna eat that?"

Bunny...mund perked up a it at that. "I make the best in the universe."

Jack peeked down at it, then at them, at last unwrapping the chocolate and tossing it into his mouth.

His eyes immediately widened and the kids laughed at his shocked expression.

"It's good, isn't it!" Fog smiled.

Jack just nodded, his mouth the too overcome with flavor to say anything.

Bunnymund looked please. "So, I take it you like it?" he leaned forward.

He nods again and tension in the room seems to melt away.

Ombric slightly smiles and gestures everyone out. "I suppose we should leave so you can gather your strength? You must be tired."

"He has been sleeping for a week," Tooth pointed out.

Whether it was the suggestion or he really was tired, he yawned and Sandy smiled.

As they all filed out, kids racing to the door, the Sandman let a strand of dreamsand lazily drift and curl around him.

As the Guardians shut the door behind them, North snickered and poked at Bunnymund.

"Bunny."

Bunnymund hissed, which shut him up pretty quickly.

.

**A/N: **_Omg... I don't know what I was high on but this chapter is crazy. _

_Heh.. Bunnymund's still adorable. :P_

_I hope I did a good job on describing the characters. They seemed a bit OOC to me... Eh._

_I had a terrible time with writers block._

_Apparently, Word does not count sandles as a real word._

_Anyway, review please!_

_Peace!_


	6. Nightlight Speaks and Katherine Pouts

**A/N: **_Oh my god! You guys make me so happy with your reviews! I could not stop smiling! _

_So anyway, just for you guys, Imma work extra hard on this chapter to make it longer and post it today..._

_:3 Enjoy!_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Rise of the Guardians or the Guardians of Childhood. :,c**_

_. . ._**(Rotg)**

"Sandy, slow down! I can' tell wa' ur sayin!" Bunny pleaded.

Sandy huffed silently and began again, creating a picture of the moon, Earth, a snowflake, then crossed out the snowflake.

"Sandy, I still have no idea what you're saying." Tooth looked at him in slight annoyance. "That doesn't really make any sense."

North burst into the globe room, carrying a large sack of new toys. "Ba! We can play charades later, Sandy! I have new toys!"

Dreamsand puffed out of his ears and he balled his hands into fists, a murderous look on his face. All the Guardians paused. None of them had never seen him get this angry, even in the hundreds of years they'd known him. In the end North signed and sat on a nearby chair. "Okay, tell what is on your mind."

Sandy took a calming breath and began again. First a snowflake drifted around his head.

"Snow?" Tooth suggested.

When he shook his head, she slumped down in defeat and Bunny spoke up. "Winter?"

He made a so-so motion with his hands pointing again at the dreamsand snowflake.

"Jack?" North suggested quietly. Bunny immediately scowled at him but turned his attention to Sandy when he nodded. He then made a small Earth to appear; a large 'X' appeared over it.

"So, Jack and Earth-no not-Earth." Tooth corrected herself. "So Jack and not-Earth...?" she trailed off.

Sandy nodded encouragingly and made the snowflake on top of the globe then it fizzled and dissipated, leaving just the world.

"Jack is gone off the world?" Bunny leaned forward, not very cheered when Sandy clapped. "What does tha' even mean?"

Sandy sighed and face-palmed. This was going to take awhile.

. . .**(GoC)**

"So, he was awake and you didn't tell me?" Katherine stalked in North's direction. They were in a small workshop in the original Santoff Claussen. It was where North made his own experiments and toys. It was the birthplace of the metal Djinni North had created awhile back to help defeat Pitch, the Nightmare King.

He laughed nervously. "Yes, sorry about that."

"It's okay." She added mischievously when he visibly relaxed, "For now."

It was silent as she watched her friend make the Youngest William another toy sword (he kept breaking them, though no one knew how seeing as how they were supposed to be nearly impossible to break).

"Are you going to tell me why Jack was so injured?" she suddenly inquired, fiddling with the compass hanging off her neck.

"Katherine," his tone was weary, "I don't want to tell you."

"Why?"

"Because, it's not the kind of thing young ladies should know about."

"But Queen Toothiana got to know!"

"Ah, but Queen Toothiana is a warrior as much as she is a lady." North froze when he realized he had insulted her.

"I am a Guardian." she practically growled (which freaked North out a little).

"Yes.." he began again, slower. "But you are still young," he suddenly rounded on her and poked at her sides, making her squeal with laughter. "And you have a lot of growing up to do!"

"N-N-North, stop!" she gasped in between laughs.

He smiled and stopped tickling her, turning back to frown at a dent in the play sword.

"Katherine, if Jack wants to tell you, I guess he can, but do not pester him."

"Okay!" she chirruped, cheerful again.

/

Nightlight sat on the ledge by the window, watching the boy on the bed sleep. He had white hair, just like him, and looked young too. But it seemed very wrong to see him in those bandages. What had hurt him so badly as to cause him to injure himself? The young spectral boy was confused. Why had he been saying the Guardians were mean to him? Nightlight had been hiding in the rafters at the time, a little shy, not wanting to meet him just yet. He didn't like all the accusations and tension. And especially these weird thoughts.

He turned to stare out the window instead, observing Sasha and Petter race about, newly created warrior eggs totting after them with all the grace of a baby. A small smile made it's way onto his face and he glowed brighter at the happy sight. A voice started him out of thought process.

"Hey, who are you?"

Nightlight turned to see that Jack had sat up, and was staring at him blearily, waiting for an answer. After a moment, he hopped off of the large window pane, making his was to his bedside.

"Are you okay?" Jack asked Nightlight, which was kind of dumb, seeing as how he was the one in a hospital bed. But he nodded anyway, fidgety at the uncomfortable quiet that had descended in the room. "My name is Jack by the way."

"..."

"Cat got your tongue?" Jack asked. Nightlight just stood still. His confusedness must have shown because Jack added, "It's a joke."

Ah..

"Hey!" Kathrine suddenly appeared next to them, making both parties jump. She softly laughed and reached for Jack's hand who took it and they shook. "My name's Kathrine."

"Jack Frost."

"Pleasure," she smiled again gesturing to the boy beside her. "This is Nightlight." He politely nodded.

"Sweet."

"So..." she looked up to the ceiling as if looking for something to talk about. She finally grinned and turned her gaze back to him. "I heard you got Bunnymund all riled up. It's not that hard to do, but still, quite an accomplishment.

Jack smirked before his expression grew somber. "Ya..."

"What's wrong?" the young Guardian asked, concern in her voice.

He shrugged glancing up to Nightlight then Kathrine then at some other point in the room. "I don't really know what's going on."

"Neither do we. We've been meaning to ask you, but you were apparently acting weird when you first woke up."

"I swear, they do not look like that." he weakly said. "I don't know what's going on, but they look and act nothing like that."

"What do you mean, Jack?" Kathrine asked softly. Nightlight's eyes narrowed in deep thought.

"I don't know anymore," he groaned. "They Guardians I know are nothing like that. They-they,"

_'They hurt you, Jack. Isn't that right? They're trying to trick you-'_

Nightlight suddenly snapped his fingers and held up a finger to Jack, then waving at the two of them, flitting out the window he had been sitting by.

"Okay, then." Kathrine muttered.

/

Bunnymund cleared his throat, catching the other two's attention.

"I believe that Jack does not come from our world." he said out of the blue.

"What?" North stared at him like he was crazy. "So you think he's an alien then." he scoffed.

"Firstly, no. Secondly, what is so preposterous about that. Even if I had come to the conclusion he was an 'alien' as you call it, would you really find it absurd after all you have been through? I, myself am, in fact, an 'alien'."

"No." the young man mumbled, shooting a glare at the Pooka

"My dear fellow, could you please explain what you were thinking?" Ombri spoke.

"Ah, yes. Well, when I had found him in the Arctic, amongst all that blood..." he quickly went on, "I had smelled a distinct scent." Bunnymund stated, his nose twitching as if remembering.

"Yes, what scent," North urged.

"He had the faintest smell of you, North. But not only you; he carried Queen Toothiana's scent as well as Sanderson's, as well as my own."

"Really," Ombric leaned forward.

"But we _did _help to patch him up. Maybe you're just too confused to remember correctly, what with eating all that chocolate." North couldn't help but add that last bit on, watching as Bunnymund fluffed up.

"While it is true I have congested more chocolate than I should have, it does not excuse for what I have remembered. I smelled it on him before any of us touched him."

...

Nightlight raced the moonbeams to the Himalayas the highest point on Earth. Quickly enough, The Lunar Lamadary came into view. Waving to the Yetis and various creatures that lived there, he landed on the soft tile of the courtyard, where the Lunar Lamas had gathered. They all bowed to him and he shifted from foot to foot.

"We welcome you, Prince Nightlight," the Grand High Lama said.

Nightlight nodded respectfully then pointed up at the moon where it hung in the sky, bright and full.

"You wish to speak with the Man in the Moon?" he inquired.

When the spectral boy nodded, there was a rush of excitement as a Lama struck a large gong; the sound reverberated across the entire palace and the gong simmered until it looked like a large glass magnifier.

It focused up onto the moon until a round, kind face appeared.

"Hello, Nightlight old friend."

Nightlight bowed and said in his magical, unearthly voice, "Hello, sir. I am very sorry for being a bother, but I must speak with you face to face."

The Man in the Moon smiled down at him and nodded. "It is about the Winter Child, is it not."

"Yes, sir. I guess I would like to be knowing where he is coming from? I do not think he is from our land."

"Nightlight, he is not from our universe. He is from a place where he does not feel welcomed. Few were kind to him."

Nightlight lowered his head a bit. "Is that why he..." he trailed off.

"Yes. Sadly, those who were unkind to him had pushed him to that. But maybe, with a bit of love, we can turn him into something most wonderful." The Man in the Moon winked.

Nightlight smiled. "I will try my very hardest."

.

**A/N: **_Dawwwwwww' Nightlight's so cute! But ya, Katherine defiantly seemed OOC... It kinda ticked _

_me off... But North and Katherine are adorable! _

_I've been trying to get more into what happened after Jack left his universe, but I just find GoC more interesting.. ^.^_

_And if you're wondering how Manny knew all that... MANNY KNOWS ALL!_

_:3_

_Hope you liked it! Keep those reviews coming! It puts a smile on my face! *Joker moment..._

_There's gonna be Jackrabbit fluff soon. I'm so excited! _

_Peace_


	7. Hope Returned

**A/N: **_Hey guys! Sorry I haven't updated in awhile but my wifi has been down for a week. T.T Jk. It hasn't been that bad and it gave me time to work on __this long chapter__ and 'Jack's Funeral' (another one of my fanfics X3). And school has started. Ugh. So I'm gonna be pretty busy with work and school... But I'll try my best to update as soon as possible._

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Rise of the Guardians or the Guardians of Childhood. We've been over this.**_

. . .**(_Rotg)_**

"Wait, so you do not think Jack is on our world?" North asked for clarification.

Sandy bobbed his head up and down.

"So, why exactly do you do ya think that?" Bunny snorted.

Sandy created a picture of the moon and then a smaller moonbeam.

"The Moon, huh," he scoffed. "That gumby must be going nuts. First he makes _Frost_," he spat the word out like poison, "a guardian then he expects us to go an' find 'im?"

The Guardian of Dream glared at Bunny and Tooth flitted inbetween them.

"Guys, what are we going to do?" she paused to order her fairies to somewhere in Ontario and West Virgina. "Could you even track him down?" she turned to Bunny, who was the only time traveler amongs them.

"I can," he crossed his arms, looking disgruntled, "but I'm not gonna."

"Bunny, you might have to," North said. "He might mess something up in that other timeline?" he looked at Sandy for confirmation, "and we don't know how long Mother Nature will want to take over winter for. There is reason she makes spirits to help."

"Ya, well Manny made that lil' mistake and she can just make another spirit!" Bunny exclaimed, not sold.

But with a death glare from Sandy, once again, he begrudgingly agreed to search through different timelines and universes, though it was a bit harder.

"When he get's back, he better prepare for what's gonna 'appen to 'im." Bunny mummbled.

. . .**(Goc)**

For the next few days, Jack had taken it slow, working to get back on his feet. He was sore all over, falling over the first few times he had tried to get up. They had returned his clothes to him, cleaned and mended, which he was grateful for, they were about to fall apart at any moment. He was a bit happier now that he was comfortable in clothes that fit him. When he was finally allowed out of bed, immediately all the little kids ran up to him, trying to get him to play.

Outside it was mid-spring, but upon asking Ombric, they were located in Russia, so it was still cold, small piles of snow laying around. They were surrounded completely by a thick rig of oak trees. They towered over normal sized oak trees with room to spare. The village houses were not ordinary houses. Instead of standing upright made of wood and stone, the were part of the landscape. There were houses in hole- burrow type things in the ground, homes in trees, homes in practically anything and it all looked super cool. A giant bear, which had scared Jack half to death, walked around the perimeter of the forest, guarding their village from outsiders. There was also a Spirit of the Forest. Her robes were light blue and shimmered, adorned with jewels. Her hair, a light blond, also had jewels in it. Her job was to tempt bandits that had heard of the villages wealth, which was the wealth of knowledge apparently. Golden coins could spill from her hands, and anyone who touched them turned to stone. That had actually happened to North's men (they all had been bandits, North, a Cossack)who had been turned to hunched over elves, but, after North had become a guardian, the Spirit of the Forest had revived them, but they still remained as small as elves.

Anyway, this small village was called Santoff Claussen, which Jack found hilarious though the others didn't understand why. He found out that the kids of Santoff Claussen were little geniuses. Practically everything that lived in Santoff Claussen was geniuses. Down to the smallest gloworm.

He still didn't know what was really going on still, but decided to go with it. If they were here to attack him.. or something, he could get away. He had his staff back, which he had asked for the second day. They had given it up to him without question.

The children loved his abilities. He made frost on the trees and grass, the fern patterns spreading across the surfaces, making everything glisten and shine. The snowflakes that fell from the sky and landed on their noses, making them happily flush a bright red. They would beg him to make it snow all the time, and he did, but the air didn't have the same feel of happiness as it used to.

Jack still didn't know where exactly he was, and why everything was different. Over the past couple of days, Bunnymund had been working on his theory, testing different timelines for the same waves that Jack gave off, asking him lots of questions. Jack still wouldn't tell anyone why he did it, but that was expected. He seemed very nervous around them. They quickly learned he didn't like yelling, or loud noises in general. He would always fly into the treetops and not come down for awhile when something like that happened. But other than that, he was a bright young man. He would stand next to Ombric or North, asking questions about their inventions.

Jack had figured out that he was somewhere in the past, seeing as how trains hadn't been discovered among humans yet. The only train on Earth now was Bunny's Eggomotive, where everything about the train was egg shaped. Bunnymund was ridiculously obsessed with eggs. But nonetheless, Jack liked Bunny. Well, this version of Bunny. While he could be a bit stuck up and prideful, he was nice and almost always kept his cool. (Only North could make him come completely undone.) But they hadn't talked that much, besides the question asking.

"Jack."

Speak of the devil.

Jack looked down at Bunnymund from the tree he had been daydreaming in.

"Ya?"

"Could you please come down and talk?"

"Ya, sure." Jack hopped down lightly, the wind softening his fall. Even though this was the past, the wind still responded to him. Jack had the mark of a wind rider.

Bunnymund stepped aside as Jack landed infront of him and turned heel, moving toward Big Root, Jack following. He suddenly paused and Jack had to stop himself from tripping over him.

"Actually, do you think we could speak at my burrow?"

"Uh, sure." Jack found it odd that he had said burrow, not Warren, but writ it off as another odd difference.

Bunnymund had moved forward, ignoring the children's cries of "Hi Bunny!" which they had taken to calling him. Jack found himself feeling a little guilty but forgot about that when Bunny tapped his foot against the ground and a hole appeared. At least that was the same. With one last glance at him, the Pooka fell into his hole, dissapering from sight. A moment later, Jack jumped into the hole too, feeling it close behind him.

He fell swiftly through the twisted tunnel, the would be sharp turns smoothed into gentle curves. Jack wooped with glee as he did a loop-de-loop. The last time he had done this...

By the time he popped out of the tunnel, he was completely prepared to shut everything out again. Bunnymund was standing next to the wall the hole was in, offering a paw up. Jack disregarded it and the wind helped him up. The Winter Spirit looked around in awe.

Instead of the vibrant, spring Warren he was expecting, he was in a large rounded white room with a lot of incubation capsules, eggs snuggled inside of them. Bunny said nothing and turned into another room, knowing Jack would follow. The walls turned into dirt and it became apparent they were underground, just as the old Warren had been. They passed through many small hallways, most smelling of chocolate, some holding what seemed to be a museum, others ordinary rooms. Bunnymund lead him into a small but comfortable siting room.

This room had a distinct homely vibe going on, with various paintings and sofas spread throughout the area. There was a small stone fireplace in the midst of the furniture against a wall. The floor was a light colored wood, well swept and smoothed. A small oval coffee table sat in the middle of the semi circle of couches and chairs. The Guardian gestured to one of the couches, where Jack sat.

As he took a seat across from Jack, Jack marveled about the little knick-knacks about the room. Their were odd little trinkets on the shelves on the wall. A small bookshelf sat in the corner of the room, dusted and inviting. The fire was lit, and filled the room with it's warm grasp, not making Jack uncomfortable.

Jack suddenly realized Bunny was staring at him and decided to be the one who broke the silence.

"So, what am I here for?"

Bunnymund looked slightly amused. "Can't I simply invite someone over?"

"Yes," Jack mulled. "But it's not really your style. You usually.. like your personal space," he watched for any sign of offense on Bunnymund's face but found none.

Instead he chuckled, which surprised Jack. "Yes, I haven't had any visitors for a while, but I don't mind the company once and awhile."

"So why me?"

Bunnymund's ear perked up as if remembering something. "Oh! Would you like anything to drink?" he asked, avoiding the question.

"Ya, thanks." Jack said uncertainly.

"I'll be back in a moment." he rushed out of the room.

True to his word, he returned in a minute, two tea cups in his hand, which he handed one of them to Jack, who leaned his staff against the arm of the faded green couch to accept it.

When Bunnymund had settled again, they sat in a slightly awkward silence, sipping at their tea, glancing at eachother once in a while.

Finally the Pooka spoke up. "So, where are you from?" he said it pretty straightforwardly. "You have an interesting accent."

Jack sputtered and waved away Bunny's apologies. "It's okay, it's just a bit funny because no one's really asked me that." He wiped at the tea which had unpleasantly dribbled onto his hoodie. "I guess I'm from Burgess. A long time ago...I was born there, but, ya know..I'm a little bit old.

"How old are you?"

"Sixteen."

Here came all the questions again.

But Bunnymund surprised him again and just leaned back a little, taking another sip of his warm tea.

"...But really. Why?" Jack asked.

The Guardian looked up at him through his glasses. "Honestly," he didn't try and avoid it, "I'm just interested. You are so fascinating Jack Frost. I want to know everything about you." He spoke with such intensity.

Jack tried to hold back his blush and lowered his gaze, staring into the fire, not seeing Bunnymund small grin.

"Umm. Thanks," he stuttered.

The time traveler stared at him again. "Well, I suppose you want to know about me?" he ventured. When Jack nodded slightly he began.

"Well, I spent about a millennia working on Earth, perfecting it," it sounded as if he were starting in the middle of his story, "making it round." here he sighed, "I watched over the human race, helping history flow as it should, helping with inventions, making chocolate. But humans didn't appreciate the light I gave them, so I stopped helping. I eventually made my Burrow and settled on making the best chocolate I could make. Then, North came and ruined all my peace and quiet. He needed my relic to help defeat Pitch, the Nightmare King." he said this casually as if this happened everyday. "So eventually we got the rest of the 'team' as humans would say it, and became Guardians to watch over the children of Earth, which, in fact, _does _indeed need chocolate, so do not listen to what North says...he's mean" Bunnymund added astonishingly childish.

Jack laughed at that last comment then straighted up. "Well, I guess I have to tell you about myself now.."

"Oh, you don't have to" Bunny said, but Jack could tell he was counting on it.

"Heh, well I was 'reborn' I guess," Bunnymund was confused but didn't interrupt, as that was rude, " 'bout three hundred years ago. I-I didn't really know anything but my name, which the Moon told me. Um, I found out I was invisible when someone in a nearby village walked through me.." Bunny frowned, "And.. after that, um, I just kinda did whatever." Jack seemed to skip over quite a bit. "Anyway years passed and people changed.. and no one really talked to me... and one day, um...well. I don't really know how to explain this... You, but, like a different version of you, I guess came and shoved me in a sack and tossed me through a magic portal, and I ended up at the North Pole," _'We just invented that,' _Bunnymund thought, "And I was told that I was a Guardian now, and I-I was kinda pissed, ya know? 'Cause like, no one had ever talked to me, and Manny didn't talk to me, and like, I was _a-alone _and-"

"Jack," Bunny gently said, breaking his rambling. Jack took a deep breath a continued.

"Um, so at first I refused but then Tooth's palace was attacked and Pitch had created some Nightmares to steal the tooth capsules and her helpers.. And so I just kinda went along with it. But then I found out I was supposed to have memories from _before _I was Jack Frost and they would help me get them, so I helped and I... I-I _ruined... I ruined Easter," _Jack seemed to be trying to dissappere, no looking at Bunnymund, who waited patiently, "I ruined Easter because I was stupid and because I was weak," he tried to hold back the tears clinging to his eyelashes. "And, well, I ran away, but.. oh ya, Pitch gave me my memories, but he had Baby Tooth, the only friend I had...and he threw her and...he b-broke my staff and threw me into a.. crevice in the Arctic." Jack finally chocked on a sob and Bunny couldn't take it any longer. Part of Bunnymund's carefully built facade broke and he sat next to Jack, hesitantly pulling him into his embrace. Jack just clung onto his robes, burying his face.

"Jack, you don't have do continue." He spoke softly.

"No," Jack's nose sounded stuffed. "I-I want to."

"Okay." He couldn't help but asking, "Is that why you.. were bleeding? Did you...hurt yourself because of that?"

Jack shook his head, more tears falling from his eyes. "No..um.. I.. Baby Tooth showed me my memories and.. Bunny," he didn't comment. "Bunny I had a _sister _and-and I drowned and _ohmygodIlefther." _Jack wasn't really making sense right now, but Bunny would ask him later, right now , Jack just needed some comfort.

"_Ilefther!" _he sobbed, his shaking noticeable now. Bunnymund continued to hold him for what seemed like hours until he spoke up again. "B-but anyway, um.. I got Jamie, a-a little kid who would believe in anything," he laughed halfheartedly, his nose still stuffed, "but he was the only kid in the world to believe still, and...and he saw me! H-he saw me and his friends did too.. and..and..we defeated Pitch and everything was supposed to be _okay! ItwassupposedtobeokayandIwouldntbealone! _But it wasn't!" he sobbed a little more and Bunnymund looked around for some tissues Jack would likely want when he was done, "And... and the other guardians, they _dontwantmebecaueim_worthles!-"

"Wait, what do you mean about worthless," Bunymund finally interjected, shifting Jack so he was looking into his tear-filled eyes. "Jack, you are not worthless."

Jack whimpered, clutching onto Bunny's arm tighter. "The voices, Bunny. Please, make them stop." he buried his face into the Pooka's robes again. "_Please make them stop."_

Bunnymund's eyes widened and he hugged Jack tighter. He bent down and snuffled at Jack's hair soothingly. "It's okay, we're going to help you, okay? We are going to help you, Jack"

Jack was bawling by this point, unable to stop. Bunny's robes were getting soaked from all the tears and spit coming from Jack's open mouth. Bunnymund continued to rub his back and whisper promises into Jack's hair. When Jack had slightly calmed down, Bunny took the chance to grab his wrist and flip it over, gently pushing the fabric up to reveal his scars. Jack had taken off the bandages after he got his staff back. He felt Jack tense and he pulled him closer, if that was even possible.

"Jack, please, don't do this again. I know it hurts, but one day, all the pain you're feeling will be gone. I know it seems impossible, but it will get better, I promise you." he grasped his chin and turned Jack's face upward to stare into his shockingly blue orbs. "You are not worthless. Don't listen to anyone else, okay? You can be loved. Please, promise me to at least try."

It took a moment, but eventually Jack nodded and shut his eyes again, pulling his arm away and wrapping it around Bunny's torso. He rested his forehead against Bunny's chest, taking calming breathes.

And Bunny could pick up the faintest of whispers.

"I'll try."

…

_**A/N: **Omg sorry that took so long, but my writers block is determined to become my best friend or something... Heh. They're so awkward around eachother. Ilovethemsomuch ;^; help me..._

_Anyway, I'm most likely now going to update on weekends now... or whenever I can. My teachers don't seem nice enough to give me not that much homework. _

_Jack: Suck it up. ^.^_

_Me: Shut it._

_Bleh. _

_Review please, it helps a lot!_

_Peace!_


	8. Getting Closer

_**A/N: **Hey guys! Was up? ..I don't really have anything special...On with the chapter!_

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Rise of the Guardians or Guardians of Childhood. **_

_**. . .(RoTG)**_

Bunny looked in timeline after timline after timeline after timeline, with no sign of Frostbite. Sandy had been checking in on his every few hours, making sure he was actually working. The process itself was long, difficult and frankly, boring. And with Sandy hanging over his shoulder it felt like slave work.

The Pooka scowled for the forty-th time that day and set up another tunnel that would take him through time and space. This was taking up quite a bit of magic and he hadn't used it in awhile, so it was more tireding.

When Bunny emerged from the tunnel he had created, he glanced around, not seeing much.

He was on the edge of a forest. The trees were seemingly grown in a ring, locking a tiny village of sorts inside. He had blocked the magic signal that his tunnel emitted so no one was the apparent guards weren't alerted. He could sense a large bear pacing the perimeter as well as a spirit woman. There were nine childeren, 142 insects, 56 arachnids, 123 mammals, (including the bear) nine elders and one moonbeam-like...child. At least, that's what he could sense. He shifted from paw to paw, pressing his arms across his chest and focused harder, spreading out his magic to be more clear. When he found no sign of Jack still, he rolled his eyes and hopped back into his tunnel.

Just as Jack flew into the clearing.

/

"Sandy! There was no sign of 'im! Stop yelling at me!" Bunny stomped to his nest to collapse into it. He buried his face into his fluffy pillow as Sandy continued 'yelling' at him. He was exhausted and he didn't bother asking why Sandy seemed to so strongly dislike him right now.

Dreamsand flew from Sandy's ears as his comrade continued to ignore him. He turned and scanned the floor, picking up a small oval shaped wood trinket and chucked it at him. Bunny shot up as it hit him directly on the head.

"What the bloody 'ell, Sandy!" he shouted. "I know yer worried an all but really! I've been working mah tail off and you hit me with a bloody jorival!"

Sandy had no idea what a jorival was, but his eyes softened and he nodded apologetically at the Pooka, who relaxed and slumped back down onto his nest. Sandy turned to leave and subconsciously gave him dreams of Easter, even though he felt Bunny didn't deserve it.

/

Sandy was really worried. It had been 3 weeks since he had last seen Jack, and, well... The_ first _time the dreamweaver had met him hadn't been pleasant. He kinda had to wonder about his mental state. He had always known Jack was a little emotional. But when the others had sent him away...

Sandy tried to clear his mind of Jack for the moment and focus on giving the children of Earth sweet dreams. They didn't need to feel uneasy, even if they didn't understand why.

He frowned when he felt one of his dreamsand trails drift lazily away from where it was supposed to go. The Sandman put it back on course, watching it closely flow to a child's window, only to tumble away again. Sandy huffed and floated down from his cloud to see what was happening. The window, he realiezed, was Jamie's window. The child who had saved them all those years ago. Jack's best friend.

Sandy peeked timidly through the window, only to startle back when he saw Jamie's face so close to the glass. Jamie flung open the window and hugged him. Sandy patted his back a bit awkwardly.

"Oh, Sandman! I'm so glad to see you!"

Sand nodded and a question mark appeared above his head, along with and arrow pointing first at him,then the bed.

Jamie looked bashfully at him. "Ya, I know, but I'm to worried about Jack. He said he'd be back to play two days after he had left but.. its been a long time. And he never breaks his promises. Do you know where he is?"

Sandy hesitated then shook his head no then he made a 'we're searching' gesture.

That seemed to satisfy Jamie. He shuffled over to bed and buried himself under the covers. He yawned and glanced up at him as he went to tuck the kid in. "Please find him," were his last words before he driffted into dreams of snowball fights and sledding.

. . .**(GoC)**

Ombric felt a sudden shift in Santoff Claussen's boundaries. Some sort of magic source was detected, obviously trying to hide itself. It wasn't a harmful magic. In fact it was similar to Bunnymund's type of tunnel magic. He figured he was trying something new and disregarded it.

/

Jack waltzed around the grassy clearing, leading a small parade of children around in circles. Jack had just been pacing at first, but soon enough, a kid had started copying him, then another, then another. Then it had turned into a sort of game. Jack suddenly dropped the the ground and watched as the children hurried to follow. The last one down, Sascha, giggled a bit then sat down next to the others who had got out, content to watch them finish the round before she could join in again. The Youngest William stuck his tongue out at her and she teased him back. "I'll get you next time!" she yelled, a glint in her eye that made him a little nervous.

Nightlight laughed from high up in the trees as he watched the children play. He jumped a little when Jack looked up at him and waved. When he waved back, the spirit gestured him over.

"Come and play!"

Nightlight smiled and floated down, dropping next to Jack who grinned mischievously. He turned to the other kids.

"Hey guys! You wanna play racing?" They all let out cheers of excitement, running to get in a semi-straight line, waiting for Jack and Nightlight to get in position. Jack glanced at him again and Nightlight glared playfully.

"In 5...4...321GO!" Jack took off, running with all his power, which wasn't really that fast,seeing as how he had been sitting in bed for such a long time, but he was fast enough. Nightlight launched forward as well laughing all the way. The children knew they wouldn't be able to outrun them, but they raced against each other, tripping and shoving playfully at one another.

Nightlight was, by now, caught up with Jack, who was tried to get the wind to carry him to the decided finish line. The spectral boy laughed and took to the sky after him. The moonbeam under his feet lifted him up and pushed him in front of Jack and he reached finished before the winter spirit.

Jack collapsed to his knees, panting and all the while glaring playfully up at the older spirit. "You...you cheat," he insisted in between pants. Nightlight just chuckled. The other kids, who had just now finished, couldn't stop running, and their momentum brought them crashing one after the other in Nightlight and his new friend. The all landed in a big wiggly pile of smiles and laughter.

And as the kids started arguing over who had one between there group, a stray thought caught Jack's mind.

'I could get used to this.'

. . .

_**A/N: **And all the kids can magically speak English. :P But then again.. they can talk to bugs._

_Review please!_


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